This invention relates generally to resolution of certain problems arising in connection with ear reconstruction; more specifically it concerns the provision of a device implanted in the natural hollow of the hypotympanum to improve hearing, typically under circumstances where ossicles are not intact, but also of use in situation where ossicles are intact.
Within the last twenty-five years various microsurgical concepts and procedures have evolved in efforts to solve the problems of reconstruction arising in ears operated upon for chronic middle ear disease. It is found that the results of a given techique are initially good, but deterioration often occurs as a result of postoperative wound healing, including the formation of scar tissue that blocks hearing functions.
It can be said that results cannot be predicted with accuracy due to the existence of many variables in a given ear. These include, but are not limited to: Eustachian tube function; degree of operative trauma; anatomic variation among microstructures; differences in patient healing characteristics; amount and quality of remaining mucosa; osteitis remaining, if any, after surgery; and obscure factors such as patient's immune status, ear and pharyngeal flora, and minutiae of operative techniques such as presence of talc in wound and sterile techniques. Perhaps the most important variable is the degree of interaction of these listed variables. In the past, solid devices have been temporarily employed in the middle ear; however such devices are not entirely satisfactory.